Kadava was the name of a Tamil ruling dynasty who ruled parts of the Tamil country during the thirteenth and the fourteenth century. Kadavas were related to the

Pallava dynasty The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahana dynasty, with whom they had formerly served as f ...

and ruled from Kudalur near

Cuddalore Cuddalore, also spelt as Kadalur (), is the city and headquarters of the Cuddalore District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Situated south of Chennai, Cuddalore was an important port during the British Raj. While the early history of Cudda ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

. Hiranyavarman, the father of

Nandivarman II Nandivarman II (718 CE – 796 CE) was a Pallava ruler who ruled in South India. Sen states Nandivarman reigned from 731 CE – 796 CE and built the Vaikuntha-Perumal Temple. He was born in the country of Champa (modern day Vietnam) into a loca ...

Pallavamalla is said to have belonged to the Kadavakula in epigraphs.

himself is described as "one who was born to raise the prestige of the Kadava family". Chiefs bearing the Kadava title figure as feudatories of the Cholas as early as the 12th century. During the reign of Kulothunga Chola II, there was a vassal called Alappirandan Elisaimohan alias Kulottungasola Kadavaradittan. The Kadava kingdom was at the height of their power briefly during the reigns of

Kopperunchinga I Kopperunchinga I (reigned c. 1216–1242 CE) was a Kadava chieftain. He played a major role in the political affairs of Tamil country. Once an official in the service of the Chola king Kulothunga Chola III (1178-1218), Kopperunchinga utiliz ...

and Kopperunchinga II. These two rulers were powerful enough to challenge the waning

Chola dynasty The Chola dynasty was a Tamil thalassocratic empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd century BCE ...

during the reign of

Rajaraja Chola III Rajaraja Chola III succeeded Kulothunga Chola III on the Chola throne in July 1216 CE. Rajaraja came to the throne of a kingdom much reduced in size as well as influence. With the rise of the Pandya power in the south, the Cholas had lost most ...

and Rajendra Chola III. The two Kopperunchingas have left a large number of inscriptions mostly in the North and South

Arcot Arcot (natively spelt as Ārkāḍu) is a town and urban area of Ranipet district Ranipet district is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu, India, formed by trifurcating Vellore district. The Government of Tamil Nadu has announced its prop ...

districts and in the

Chingleput Chengalpattu, previously known as Chingleput, is a city and the headquarters of Chengalpattu district of the state Tamil Nadu, India. The town is located near to the industrial and IT hub. It is the headquarters of the district and is away fr ...

district.

Origins

The title ''Kadava'' is found among the several titles assumed by

Mahendravarman I Mahendravarman I (600–630 CE) was a Pallava emperor who ruled the Southern portion of present-day Andhra region and Northern regions of what forms present-day Tamil Nadu in India in the early 7th century. He was a scholar, painter, architec ...

, Narasimhavarman I and

Narasimhavarman II Narasimhavarman II, popularly known as Rajamalla, was a ruler of the Pallava kingdom. Narasimhavarman reigned from 690 CE to 725 CE. He is credited with the construction of the Shore Temple, Isvara and Mukunda Temples in Mahabalipuram, the Pan ...

. The ''Kadava'' name with Kadavarayar is found in

Tamil literature Tamil literature has a rich and long literary tradition spanning more than two thousand years. The oldest extant works show signs of maturity indicating an even longer period of evolution. Contributors to the Tamil literature are mainly from T ...

to refer to the

Pallavas The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahana dynasty, with whom they had formerly served as f ...

. The relationship of the Kadavas to the main Pallava dynasty is documented in an inscription in Kanchipuram. The kings of the collateral line of the Pallavas who were descended from Bhimavarman, the brother of

Simhavishnu Simhavishnu (IAST: Siṃhaviṣṇu) also known as Avanisimha son of Simhavarman III and one of the Pallava kings of India, was responsible for the revival of the Pallavan dynasty. He was the first Pallava monarch whose domain extended beyond K ...

, are called the ''Kadavas''. The Pallava king

(Pallavamalla) is praised as "one who was born to raise the prestige of the Kadava family."{{cite web, last=Archaeological Survey, first=of India, title=A.R. No. 232 of 1916 and A.R. No. 137 of 1900, url=http://www.whatisindia.com/inscriptions/south_indian_inscriptions/volume_12/appendix_b.html, publisher=Archaeological Survey of India, accessdate=5 June 2011

References

External links

South Indian Inscriptions
Tamil monarchs Dynasties of India Empires and kingdoms of India Pallava kings History of Tamil Nadu